| The Tidewater area is home to 120,000 plus military members and their families. In 1997, military medicine began changing from the Civilian Health and Medical Program Uniformed Service (CHAMPUS) to a civilian managed care format for active duty members, their dependents and military retirees. The changeover was complete in 2000. Since 2001, complaints from TriCare Prime patients concerning a decrease in access to care have risen dramatically. This study set out to substantiate if complaints concerning a decrease in the availability of clinic appointment for military members and their families were valid. Instead, the findings found a substantial number of appointments were either unfilled due to not being at convenient times or due to No-Shows for appointments scheduled.; Sections of this project are currently an administrative tool at several military facilities analyzing access to care and evaluating alternatives to decrease emergency room visits by TriCare Prime enrollees. |
